A French soldier stands guard in an armoured vehicle as a helicopter carrying Army Chief of Staff General Bertrand Ract-Madoux leaves a position in the Terz valley, about 37 miles south of the town of Tessalit in northern Mali, on March 21, 2013.

In March 2012, separatist rebels and Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda exploited the political chaos following a coup in Mali and overran half of the northwest African country. Nine months later, after dawdling in the capital Bamako and handwringing at the U.N., a French-led intervention is striking back at the rebel militias. France, Mali’s former colonial ruler, is deeply invested in restoring stability to the country, but is hesitant to commit too many boots on the ground—those are being made up by Malian troops and a force comprising soldiers from neighboring West African countries. After initial successes, the coalition intervening may find itself pursuing a far more evasive enemy.

France and Africans taking on the Muslims! This must be a joke, right? The Muslims dominate Africa and the Middle East. Despite the efforts of the western world, nothing has changed, we are talking about Islam embedded in primitive cultures. To expect change in the near future, is nothing short of a dream.

Lets work together as one world and stop all fundamentalist (militants) groups of all religion no matter who they are and stop them creating another Afganisthan with taliban in mali or any country. Lets not blame any religion. All religions have good and old fundamental value, no religion is perfect or bad, but we should learn good value of them and take the old fundamental value with logic out of our civilized world so we all can live peacefully as one world one religion of love. We are all good human-beings with good value. No one should live in fear of dying of blast !!!!:):):):):)

Perhaps others see this as Muslims taking on French colonialism. The western powers are so convinced of their own moral superiority, despite all the bombs they drop and all the civilians they kill, that they have practically no hope of really resisting fundamentalist Islam.

When Paul Brenner took charge of Iraq, he did not speak Arabic. It is just outlandish arrogance for the US to put such a man in charge of this large and ancient country. OK, that was Bush, but how is Obama with his drones different?

The record of western powers in the non-white world has been one of looting, rape, exploitation and genocide. India for instance was one of the richest countries in the world before the British. Ever hear of the Taj Mahal? By the time the British left it was a basket case. Ever hear of Apartheid? Ever hear of the torture and killing of Patrice Lumumba on a Belgian plane? It took many many years of hard struggle before the French were willing to leave Algeria. Of course, Islamists carry their own risks to a society. But as Tolstoy said, you cannot clean a dirty window with a dirty rag. Western powers attempting to "improve" the non-western world are that dirty rag.

Just today I had a conversation with a young Chinese woman. She said "WE are the ones who invented gun powder. But we never used it for anything other than fireworks. It was the West which discovered that it could be used to kill people."

@rohit57 " Just today I had a conversation with a young Chinese woman. She said
"WE are the ones who invented gun powder. But we never used it for
anything other than fireworks. It was the West which discovered that it
could be used to kill people."

REALLY ??? China is a pacifist country ???? China is taking over all of Africa ! China is the new colonial power !you are naive and only fooling yourself with all your clichés !

@jerry48@rohit57 In the first place it is not MODERN China which invented gunpowder but the China of long ago. In the second place China, while it has become more assertive, has not bombed distant countries as the US has. So no, I do not claim that modern China is a pacifist country. But it remains the case that the record of Western powers is far far worse. Are you denying this?

@rohit57 Try reading some reports of the devastating beatings and tortures that were inflicted on women when the Taliban 'came to town'. Then you'll have some not-so-small idea of why the French stepped in to help these people. Get some sort of perception and knowledge in your head before you go spouting off about things you obviously haven't any clue about.

@hotandbothered@rohit57 There is a nice article in the NY Times, I think today about how unmoderated discussions proceed so quickly to insults. I do not see you as a thoughtful and civilized person, and even if you had something worth saying, which is possible, your insulting style makes it impossible to discuss with you. So sorry, I am not going to respond to the substance. I am sure you can find someone else to insult.

@rohit57 okay, so... 1) the people of Mali are terrified of the Islamists, and want nothing more than to get rid of them. 2.) What the hell does Paul Bremer have to do with this at all? You've made two statements, one of which is wrong and the other you neglect to support at all. Try harder.